All articles filed in Travel Tales & Tips

Country 24: Austria | This post is part of my 30×30 series. Read more here! “What does Vienna smell like?” The words hung in a crowded bar in the middle of the Tenderloin, thousands of miles from the city in question. My friend had just opined that Vienna smells worse than San Francisco—and I found it unfathomable…

Country 20: Colombia | This post is part of my 30×30 series. Read more here! While Cartagena is starting to boom as a hotspot Colombian destination (if the plethora of swanky bars and burgeoning boutique hotels in the Walled City are any indication), it’s still quite possible to tour the city as a budget traveler. Here are a…

Country 19: Brazil | This post is part of my 30×30 series. Read more here! Rio de Janeiro is perhaps the most awesome city I have ever visited, with heavy emphasis on the awe. It is the very definition of urban jungle, with plenty of concrete and plenty more greenery. But tucked between the beaches and…

Country 17: The Philippines | This post is part of my 30×30 series. Read more here! One of the things I love, in principle, about America is that you can be any kind of American: Filipino-American, Swedish-American, Afro-American, Chinese-American. In theory, you keep the country of your heritage looped in with your identity as an American. My…

Country 16: Thailand | This post is part of my 30×30 series. Read more here! Planning a trip to Thailand? There are two very Thai festivals that might pop up on your radar. One is Songkran, which is the Thai new year and is a riotous celebration with people flinging, shooting, dumping, and dunking water onto everyone…

Country 15: Taiwan | This post is part of my 30×30 series. Read more here! I used to hate long layover flights. Between the overused airport bathrooms, uncomfortable seating, and ridiculously expensive food and beverage options, there’s little to look forward to. It was only when flying into Taipei that I first appreciated the better ways a…

Tourists flock to Mallorca for the beautiful beaches, crazy party scene (okay, maybe this is just the Germans), and wild scenery, but it’s still possible to take in some of Spain’s food culture in a quieter, more intimate way—and try the best tapas in Mallorca while you’re at it. In Palma’s Sa Gerreria district (just…

Country 12: France | This post is part of my 30×30 series. Read more here! April 2009 — Paris, France Paris. There’s no other city like it—(perhaps because we keep saying there’s no other city like it). I spent four days in that city and cannot even begin to claim that I have seen it.…

Country 9: England | This post is part of my 30×30 series. Read more here! At 10 years old, I was a self-proclaimed Anglophile who wanted nothing in the world more than to live in London when I was older. While I’m a few countries off, London is still a place that captures both my…

Country 7: Latvia | This post is part of my 30×30 series. Read more here! When travel goes right, you have the trip of a lifetime. But when it goes wrong, it’s a horror story in the making. And if you travel frequently, travel problems are practically inevitable. Here are some of the most common travel…